A Wish

Rosas

As the years passed Asha grew into a beautiful, determined young woman, whose relentless begging and studying and practicing and more begging eventually persuaded King Magnifico to make her the official apprentice to the Keeper of Wishes, the king. Asha was in charge of keeping the spell tower tidy for her father and occasionally she would be allowed to watch him grant a wish. Most of her work consisted of polishing the beakers and test tubes, sweeping petals off of the floor, alphabetizing the books on the bookshelf, and memorizing spells, potions, and even the wishes themselves in case something happened to the king. Much of her work went long into the night, but she quite liked it, since she would look out the large window and see her star. The shiny, clear star that first appeared the day she came to the king and queen. It seemed to glow brighter with every birthday she celebrated, and on especially lonely nights, it seemed to comfort her with a small dance. When the time came for a wish to be granted, the star seemed as excited as she was. It was truly a sight to behold. King Magnifico would lift the bubble-shaped wish with his staff, toss it into the air, shoot magic into the wish with the crystal attached to his staff, and watch as it burst into a heavenly light that escaped through the walls of the palace and into the home of one of the townspeople of Rosas. Sometimes Asha would open her bedroom window and hear the shouts of happiness, songs of excitement, or even the cry of a newborn baby. It made Asha's heart dance to listen to their joy, but then she thought about her own wishes and the wishes of the king and queen. They were forbidden to have their wishes granted ever since King Magnifico's grandfather made a wish that eventually cost him his life. Asha was told never to speak about it, but sometimes she wondered if she could remove the curse that so burdened her family. She was not allowed to have her wishes granted either since she was a part of their family, and she remembered times when she asked if she could have a wish and King Magnifico struggled to explain that she could not. Asha thought about what she would wish for, but really, there wasn't much she didn't have, except for a friend or two, if she didn't count the well-meaning but gossiping maids or the friendly but nosy guards. They were great company to her, but she still wanted a friend. Someone she could truly share everything with. Someone to laugh with her, cry with her, even argue with her. Someone she could really count on. She didn't see much of her parents anymore since they were all so busy with royal duties. King Magnifico enjoyed her company, but she could tell that she would ask more questions than he had the answer to. Queen Amaya spent most of her time gathering wishes and addressing the townsfolk. With the wish ceremony arriving in a few days, Asha really only saw them at dinner in the dining hall, and even then they were usually discussing the order of the ceremony and the potential wishes. Asha never really chimed in with her opinion of whose wish should be granted, even though she had studied and even memorized nearly every one. At this rate she knew so much about her people that she could pick them out from a crowd. Still, she figured it wasn't her place yet. After all, she rarely walked through the town itself. When she did, it was on a horse she wasn't allowed off of, with guards she wasn't allowed away from. It was always more of a parade than a casual ride. She knew plenty ABOUT her people, but she did not really KNOW her people. King Magnifico didn't seem to know his people that much either, since he rarely went out to town. The difference was that he didn't seem to mind the gap between the royals and the townsfolk. Everyone did what they were supposed to do and left it at that. Still, Asha couldn't help but wonder: is this all there is? Couldn't there be something more here for the kingdom of Rosas that we are choosing not to discover?